ABC Ordered to Pay Additional $150,000 in Compensation to Journalist Unlawful Termination for Social Media Posts on Gaza
 |
| ABC ordered to pay Antoinette Lattouf another $150,000 for unlawful termination over Gaza social media post. |
Sydney: This is
Antoinette Lattouf, a former journalist for Australia's national broadcaster, the ABC. She had shared a post on social media accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. Thereafter, the ABC removed her from Radio Sydney's morning show and asked her to pack up her belongings.
The journalist considered this behavior an insult and approached the court for justice. A court there has now fined the ABC 150,000 Australian dollars for unfairly dismissing journalist Antoinette Lattouf. The ABC must pay this amount to Lattouf within 28 days.
Notably, Lattouf has already been awarded 70,000 Australian dollars in damages, but the court stated that this additional fine was necessary to teach the ABC a lesson. Justice Darryl Rangiah said on Wednesday, "The ABC gravely disappointed the Australian public when it completely abandoned the rights of its employees to appease a lobby group."
ABC journalist Antoinette Lattouf was fired in 2023 due to a social media post opposing Israeli military operation in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/YD07OV4P5I
— VOiCE OF MEDIA (@voiceofmedia1) June 26, 2025
At the court's direction, the ABC publicly apologized to Lattouf, stating that it had let its employees and viewers down. The ABC argued in the lawsuit that Lattouf had been instructed not to talk about the war on social media and that her posts violated the broadcaster's editorial policy.
However, the court found that the ABC never instructed its journalist not to post. Lattouf was fired solely on the grounds that she "may have" violated a policy or guideline. She was not given an opportunity to defend herself.
Antoinette Lattouf has worked as a journalist in the Australian media for many years. She is known for speaking out openly on issues such as racism, media discrimination, and mental health.
